My ol' man was a contradictionA real hard man to figureHe'd read the King James BibleWhile sippin' on corn liquorHe'd get drunk, and he'd get to preachin'Right out on the porchAlternatin' between cussin' and a prayin'Spittin' and a praisin' the Lord

No doubt about itHe was a man of both extremesHe had his share of demonsBut on Jesus he would lean

(Chorus:)He'd say, "Fly high like the angelsRun wild like the devilWe're all tryin' to find the middleBetween saint and sinner, wrong and rightSunday morning and saturday night."

Well, I have sung "Amazing Grace," hymnal in my handPlayed "Stairway To Heaven" in a three piece pick up bandI know the straight and narrow is the path that I should takeBut out here in the fast lane, you tend to get a little sideways

I still hear him preachin'Slurrin' his words a bitSayin' the thing about temptationIs it's so hard to resist

(Chorus)

Back then I didn't realizeThe wisdom in the sermonIt took a while to understandThe lesson I'm still learnin'